Automatic latch mechanism for dumping-cars



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' AUTOMATIC LATH MBGHANISM FOR DUMPING GARS- Patented Oct. '19, 1897.

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J. A. 8: A. J. MORRISON. A.mfom-MIG LATCH MBGHANISM 1101 DUMPING GARS.

Oct. 19,1897.

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. UNITED ,STATES PATENT @Trica- JoHN A. MoRRI'soNiAND ALEXANDER J. MoRRIsoN,

VIRGINIA.

OF BIG STONE GAP,

SPECIFICATION forming 'part of Letters Patent No. 592,063, dated october 1e, 1897. Application ined May 7, 1897. serai No. 635,533. ci@ mais.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, JQHN A. vMORRISONvr andALEXANDER J. MORRISON, citizens of the United States, residing at Big Stone Gap, in the vcountyof Wise and State of Virginia, have invented a new'and useful Automatici Latch-Operating Mechanism for Dumping- Cars,of which the following isa specification.

The invention relates to' improvements in latch-operatin g mechanism'for dumping-cars.'

The object of the present invention is to Improve the construction of mechanism lfor operating the latches of dumping-cars, and to `pointed out in Vthe claims hereto appended. 30 I view of a portion of a tramway provided with` In the drawings, Figure 1 is apersp'ective latch operating mechanism constructed in accordancewith this invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectionalview of the same, showing the carini-he act of dumping, the latchreleasing device being in engagement with the latch-barof 'the' car-door. Fig. 3 is a perspective v iewof one end of the car,i1lustrating the manner of mounting the door and showing the construction ofthe latch.- Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view taken longitudinally of the tramway and illustrating the manner of mounting the platform or tipple. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the door-closing device applied to an ordinary or common tipple.v Fig-6 is an end elevation of the samel Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view illustrating a modification of the door-'closing device.'

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in the several figures of the 'drawings.

- 1 vdesignates a tilting platform or tipple of `a tramway 2, mounted in any suitable mannem-and provided in advance of the pivotal point with a pair of oppositely-disposed hook- `shaped stops, adapted to project over the Arails and engage the wheels of a mine-car l to lock the latter on the platform or tipple while it is being dumped. The stops 3 are :preferably pivotally mounted andare designed to be operated by any well-known mechanism, in order that they may be thrown out ofthe path ofthe wheels and enable the mine-car'tocross over the tipple or platform after being dumped. The platform or tipple is locked' in a horizontal position while a mine-caris crossing it by any suitable mechanism.

' The car 4 is provided at one end with an outwardly-opening door 5, havingv verticallydisposed elongated eyes 6 at its upper edge, and atransverse pintle-rod 7 passes through the elongated eyesV and hinges the door tothe car-body. By this lconstruction lthe car-door is capable of a limited vertical movement independent of the pintle to permit a rigid latchbar 8 to be lifted out of engagement with a pair of'outwardly-extending keepers 9. The latch-bar, which is fixed to the car-door, is held in engagement with the shoulders of the keepers 9 by theweight of the car-door, thereby preventing the latch-bar from becoming accidentally disengaged from the keepers.

The keepers 9, which are provided with shoulders, are beveled in advance of the same to permit the latch-bar to ride over them and .facilitate the locking operation.

. v When the car tilts downward in dumping,

ythe projecting ends of the latch-bar come in contact with latch-releasing devices 10, which lift the'latch-bar out of engagement with the keepers and the pressure exerted by the contents of the car opens the door. The latchreleasing deviceslO consist of a pair of levers located at opposite' sides of the tramway and hinged or 'fulcrumed vat their lower'ends on the framework of the same, o r onany other suitable support. l

slightv inclination and their upper edges 11 They are disposed at a IOO are beveled and slightly rounded to enable the latch-bar to slide over them readily. The levers are provided at their inner faces with blocks 12, which engage the tipple or platform 1 when the same is in a horizontal position and hold the latch-releasing levers outward sufficiently to prevent them from coming in contact with the car or the latch. As soon as the platform or tipple 1 tilts downward, it moves away from the blocks 12 and permits the levers 10 to be swung inward by a weight 13 or other suitable means to carry them in position for engaging the latch-bar. Then the platform or tipple 1 swings upward and returns to a horizontal position, it engages the blocks 12, which are beveled, and forces them and the releasing-levers 10 outward. The weight 13 is centrally connected to a transverse chain l-l, which has its ends att-ached to the releasing-levers 10, but springs or any other suitable means may be employed for swinging the latch-releasing devices inward for engaging the latch-bar.

The platform or tipple 1 is what is known as a cross-over tipple, and after a car has been dumped, it is run off the same and into contact with a device for latching the door. This device consists of a pair of stationary vblocks 16, having beveled upper edges 17, disposed at an inclination and arranged to engage the projecting ends of the latch-bar and lift the car-door, which is forced inward by a forwardly-swinging arm 1S of a bell-crank lever 19. The bell-crank lever 1f) is fulcrumed at its angle on a support 20, and depends therefrom, as clearly shown in Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings, and its arm 21 is provided with a weight. The lower portion of the arm 18 is slightly rounded, and when it is engaged by the car-door it is depressed or forced inward, so that the weight will operate to close the car-door when the same is lifted by the blocks 1G. The weight may be made sufficiently heavy to force the latch-bar up the inclined or beveled edges of the keepers Without the assistance of the stationary beveled blocks 1G. The bell-crank lever 19 may be provided with a cross bar or brace 22, and it is provided at its angle with an eye to engage an eye or staple 23 of the support 20, but instead of employing a weighted lever to produce the forward pressure 0f the arm 18, a resilient arm or spring 24E may be employed. The spring is mounted on a suitable support and is substantially V-shaped, being inverted and having one of its arms attached to the support 25. The spring operates in connection with stationary beveled blocks 1G, similar to those before described.

The blocks 16 and the hinged levers may be constructed of wood or any other suitable material, and when constructed of wood their upper beveled edges are provided with strips of metal, forming wear-plates.

The device for latching the door may be arranged at any desired point, so that a car can be run forward after being dumped, in

order not to interfere with the dumping of successive cars, or a ear may be pulled back after dumping and switched off to another track, and, if desired, the device for locking the door may be arranged to suit such track.

The door-closing device of the construction shown in Fig. 1 may be employed in connection with a tilting platform or tipple 2G, arranged at the end of a tramway 27, and known as a common tipple. The tramway 27 terminates at a chute 28 and the bell-crank lever 19 is mounted upon the chute and has its depressible engaging arm 18 arranged to be struck by the ear-door in dumping, as illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 5 of the accompanyin g drawings,and when the car is righted, it presses the door inward and locks the same. Rigid blocks or releasing devices 2f) are mounted on the chute at the end thereof and are provided with inclined edges to engage the latch-bar for unlocking the car-door. The platform or tipple 2G is pivotcd between its ends and is provided with guard hooks or stops for engaging the wheels of a mine-car.

It will be seen that the latch-operating devices are simple and comparativelyinexpensive in construction, that they are positive, reliable, and automatic in operation, and that they are capable of opening a mine-car for dumping and of closing the same and latching it afterthe operation of dumping has been completed. It will also be seen that the latch is simple, strong, and durable, and that it is held in engagement with the keepers by the car-door, to which it is rigidly secured.

Changes in the form, proportion, and minor details 0f construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Vhat we claim is- 1. In a device of the class described, the combination of a mine-car body provided at opposite sides with keepers, an outwardlyswinging door hinged to one end of the body at the top thereof, the hinge-joint being sufficiently loose to permit the door to have a limited vertical movement, and a latch-bar rigidly secured to the car-door and engaging the keepers and held in such engagement by the weight of said door, substantially as described.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination with a dumping-car provided with a latch, and a tilting platform ortipple, of a hinged or movable releasing device located at the side of the platform or tipple and held away from the car by the said platform or tipple when the same is in a horizontal position and adapted to move inward automatically and engage the latch-bar when the platform or tipple is tilted, substantially as described.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination with a dumping-ear having a vertically-movable outwardly-opening door, a rigid latch-bar mounted thereon, and a tilting platform or tipple, of a pair of inwardly- IOO IOS

IIO

swin gin glatch-releasing levers normally held out of their engaging position by the platform or tipple and adapted when the latter is tilted to move inward automatically and engage the latch-bar, substantially as described.

4. In a device of the class described, the combination of a dumping-car provided with an outwardly-opening hinged door capableof vertical movement, keepers mounted on the body of the car at opposite sides thereof, a latch-bar rigid wi-th the door and engaging the keepers, and releasing devices having inclined upper edges arranged to engage the latch-bar, substantially as described.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination with a tilting platform or tipple, of a pair of levers hinged at opposite sides 0f the same and provided at their inner faces with beveled blocks engaging the platform or .tipple when the same is in a horizontal position, and means for swinging the levers inward when the blocks are released by the platform or tipple, substantially as described.

6. In a device of the class described, the combination of a platform or tipple, a pair of hinged releasing-levers located at opposite sides of the same, a chainconnecting the levers,vand a weight carried by the chain, substantially as described.

7. In a device of the class described, the combination with a tilting platform or tipple, of a car provided at opposite sides with keepers, an outwardly-swinging door provided at its upper edge with vertically-elongated eyes, a pintle passing through the eyes and hin ging the door to the car, a rigid latch-bar projecting from the door and engaging the keepers, and means for operating the latch automatically, substantially as described.

S. In a device of the class described, the combination with a car providedwith a latch and having a hinged door carrying the same, a block having an inclined upper edge to engage the latch, and means for automatically forcing the door inward, substantially as described.

9. In a device of the class described, the combination with a car having a hinged door and provided with a latch, of an automatically-operating door-closing device provided wi th a depressible door-engaging arm adapted after depression to force the door inward, substantially as and for the purpose described.

10. In a device of the class described, the combination with a car having an outwardlyopening door, of an automatically-operating door-closing device comprising a bell-crank lever having one arm weighted and its other arm arranged to engage the outer face of the door, whereby the latter will be closed, substaniially as described.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we have hereto affixed our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN A. MORRISON. ALEXANDER J. MORRISON.

Witnesses: i

HENRY TAYLOR, ROBERT P. BARRON. 

